Steve Lukather says Toto will retire after its 40th-anniversary tour

News
18/10/2019

Toto's 40th-anniversary tour will come to an end when they perform their last show in Philadelphia this Sunday, 20th October.

Steve Lukather had confirmed that the band will not be going on another tour for a while when he told Morning Call, "I don't know what the future-future's gonna be, but I do know that's gonna be the last show... for the foreseeable future – and certainly the end of this configuration of Toto."

When asked upon Toto's impending hiatus, Lukather explained, "This kind of lifestyle is way harder than people think it is."

"They just think that we float around from city to city magically and live a life of luxury. And I'm not saying that we travel poorly, but it's a burden to be away from your family 230 days a year, like me."

It was really the scariest thing ever.

Back in 2018, co-founder David Paich was forced to leave the tour when he fell ill after a string of shows in Europe.

Lukather recalled, "He had some sort of a seizure or something like that. We went home, and he had to retire from touring because of his health. Apparently, he pushed himself a little too hard and he fell, you know, so to speak."

Lukather says that Paich is still playing the keyboard and singing. "He's up and about and he's happy and he's walking around. But he's not built for speed anymore, you know what I mean?" he said. "He came out in L.A. recently ... came out at the end. And that was a nice way to close the book — at least this chapter."

A decade ago, Toto retired once when Lukather called it off after long-time bassist, Mike Porcaro, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, a nervous system diseases where nerve cells break down and reduce the functionality in the muscles. Although there are painkillers for the health issue, there is no cure.

A Toto representative has confirmed the news that the band will be taking a break and further details will be announced sometime in 2020.

"I can't predict the future," Lukather admitted, leaving the door open for more Toto projects at some point. "I'm not saying I'm never gonna play this music again. That would be stupid to say; that would be a lie."

Earlier this year, Toto performed four shows in New Zealand as part of A Summer's Day LIVE alongside Dragon and Jefferson Starship.